The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a city of 350 K, is experiencing wid chills of -50C this morning.

For the first time in 100 years, Ottawa is planning for prospect of an attack from southern border. Canada's armed forces have created a model to prepare for the possibility of US invasion after Donald Trump said he wanted to annex its territory. The idiot wants to take over Canada whose land mass is bigger than the US and make it just another state. In addition he chides Russia and China for grabbing other countries to grow, but it is OK for him to do worse.

From my home town. A small community perhaps, but they have widespread support amongst all Victorians: Iranian-Canadians to rally at legislature as protests and crackdown intensify back home If you’re near the legislature this afternoon, that sound you’ll no doubt hear is one calling for action on this side of the planet as horrors unfold back home. It’s the third straight weekend of peaceful rallies calling for urgent international attention on the escalating crisis in Iran. “Executions have begun. Families are being destroyed. Widows are appearing overnight,” said Nahid Safari, one of the event’s organizers, in a release. While Canadians were celebrating Christmas, Iranians hit the streets to protest an economic collapse that has seen their dollar, the rial, sink to a record low while inflation hit an all-time high. US-led sanctions against the country over its nuclear program and government corruption added to the anger. Protests started with students and shopkeepers and have since reportedly spread to 187 centres in all 31 of Iran’s provinces, according to the BBC. Then came the crackdown. “The scale and speed of the violence are staggering,” Safari says. It’s difficult to get a handle on the number of people who have been arrested—or killed—because the Iranian government has shut down Internet access. According to Amnesty International, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued a release earlier this week that said 3,117 people were killed during the uprising, although a United Nations report suggested that number was closer to 5K.

Thinking of my US friends today as this upcoming storm bears down on them. Some of these places are simply not used to the snow and ice. If you're not using to driving in snow, don't. And remember, if you can, check in on your neighbours. Stay safe.

https://www.counteroffensive.news/p/how-irans-internet-blackouts-work